Replacement of the femtosecond laser in the THz spectroscopic microscopy laboratory

太赫兹成像是加拿大教授Skorobogatiy教授泛在太赫兹光子学的主要研究方向之一。更换失效的飞秒激光器对于他国际公认的太赫兹成像研究项目的成功是绝对必要的。失效的泵浦激光器是Skorobogatiy教授太赫兹成像实验室的核心，如果不更换上述设备，他的团队在这个充满活力的领域的进一步发展是不可能的。在过去的5年里，Skorobogatiy教授在太赫兹成像领域发展了一个世界级的、高度宣传和创新的研究项目，产生了许多高影响力的出版物，发现了新的成像技术，并追求了几个商业化机会。泵浦激光器即将出现故障，对于他的团队来说，这是一个关键时刻，目前他们正在从太赫兹成像演示器过渡到工业强度的实时超分辨率光谱显微镜系统。这样的系统可以对各种应用领域产生重大影响，包括生物医学成像和诊断，非破坏性质量控制和监测，以及安全和环境行业。更具体地说，所要求的激光器是Skorobogatiy教授在太赫兹超分辨率固体浸没光谱显微镜方面的核心工作。结合先进的固体浸没透镜设计（使用高介电折射率材料和超材料），以及先进的仪器（快速旋转延迟线，非机械光束转向），他的目标是在空间和光谱分辨率以及图像采集时间方面实现破纪录的太赫兹显微镜。这种显微镜的应用是无限的，Skorobogatiy教授和他的合作者最近的演示是在活组织的癌症边缘识别，以及用深亚波长空间分辨率直接测量材料复介电常数。最后但并非最不重要的是，与使用所要求的设备有关的指导机会将在协作训练环境中促进具有高度社会经济影响的多学科项目，从而提供高质量的训练环境。多学科将确保hqp在培训中学习和实践各种最先进的技术，使用世界一流的太赫兹光谱和成像基础设施，以及增材制造和先进材料合成。通过广泛的国际研究人员网络参与研究项目，确保了协作培训环境。最后，所进行的研究的社会经济影响预计将很高，训练有素的HQPs能够在毕业后立即推销他们的技能。这是因为材料表征领域，以及工业和医学成像在世界各地都在迅速发展，特别是加拿大和魁北克。

THz imaging constitutes one of the principal research directions of Prof. Skorobogatiy Canada Research Chair I in Ubiquitous THz photonics. Replacement of the failing femtosecond laser is absolutely essential for the success of his internationally recognized research program in THz imaging. The failing pump laser makes the core of Prof. Skorobogatiy THz imaging laboratory and further progress of his group in this vibrant field will be impossible without replacement of the above-mentioned equipment. Over the past 5 years Prof. Skorobogatiy has developed a world class highly publicized and innovative research program in THz imaging that resulted in many high-impact publications, discovery of new imaging techniques, and pursuit of several commercialization opportunities. The imminent failure of the pump laser comes at a critical time for his group that is currently transitioning from the THz imaging demonstrators to an industrial-strength real-time super-resolution spectroscopic microscopy system. Such systems can have a significant impact on various applied fields including biomedical imaging and diagnostics, non-destructive quality control and monitoring, as well security and environmental industries. More specifically, the requested laser is in the core of Prof. Skorobogatiy effort in THz super-resolution solid immersion spectral microscopy. Together with advanced solid immersion lens designs (using high dielectric index materials and metamaterials), as well as advanced instrumentation (fast rotary delay lines, non-mechanical beam steering), he aims at realizing record-breaking THz microscopes in terms of spatial and spectral resolutions, as well as image acquisition time. The application of such microscopes are limitless with the most recent demonstrations from Prof. Skorobogatiy and his collaborators being in cancer margin discrimination in live tissues, as well as direct measurement of material complex dielectric constant with deeply subwavelength spatial resolution. Last, but not least, mentoring opportunities related to the use of the requested equipment will provide a high-quality training environment by promoting multidisciplinary projects of high socio-economic impact within a collaborative training environment. Multidisciplinary will ensure that HQPs in training will learn and practice a variety of the state-of-the-art techniques using world-class infrastructure for THz spectroscopy and imaging, as well as additive manufacturing and advanced material synthesis. Collaborative training environment is ensured by the extensive international network of researchers participating in the research program. Finally, socio-economic impact of conducted research is expected to be high, with trained HQPs able to market their skills immediately upon graduation. This is because the domains of material's characterization, as well as industrial and medical imaging are in rapid development all over the world, and Canada and Quebec, in particular.